Chrysler is redesigning the new 300 sedan from the inside out, these shots suggest.
While Chrysler is today struggling to rebuild its reputation for dramatic – and occasionally outrageous – design, nothing in its line-up today better recalls its former glory days than the 300 sedan. Its retro, slightly menacing styling made the big 4-door an instant success.
Delayed due to the maker’s bankruptcy and change in ownership, the next-generation Chrysler 300 won’t be ready for market until 2012. But as the maker sets out to demonstrate that it really does have a future it has decided to release a few teaser shots hinting at what the new flagship sedan will look like.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for full exterior images, these first pics hinting at a striking remake that is almost European in flair, the LED-accented headlamps, for example, suggesting nothing less than the latest version of the new Audi A8, though another shot shows a strong, near-vertical chromed grille that indicates designers have maintained, albeit refined, the very American, in-your-face boldness that worked so well for the last 300.
This teaser suggests an almost Audi-like attention to exterior detail on the next-gen Chrysler 300.
If the older Chrysler 300 could be faulted for anything on the styling side it was the crass, clapped-out interior, a weakness that diffused through the maker’s entire corporate line-up.
But Chrysler’s latest models suggest that issue is finally being addressed. The new Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango and Chrysler 200 have all seen significant interior upgrades. Gone are the multi-piece instrument panels, with their large gaps and acres of K-Mart-class plastic. The 2011 models use single-piece IPs with few exposed gaps and a decidedly up-market mix of materials.
The 2012 Chrysler 300 will again serve as the brand's flagship sedan - and a sign of change under the stewardship of Fiat.
That’s where the new 300 starts. These images clearly show the top-line version of the 2012 Chrysler 300, though it’s hard to tell if it shows real burl wood or a strikingly well-executed imitation. The wood-trimmed wheel is almost certainly real, we’re better.
The entire cabin has been re-engineered, with the large new Chrysler touchscreen display as the centerpiece.
Indications are that Chrysler will maintain a mix of powertrains, starting with a 292-hp V6, along with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8. We’d also bet on the return of the 300 SRT8 performance model, as it would help maintain the sedan’s position as the Chrysler flagship.
Sadly, you’ll have to wait to get a full look at the 2012 Chrysler 300’s exterior. Then again, it gives us something to look forward to in the New Year.